Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Senior Stress – Part two

In our first Senior Stress article, we talked about some of the financial pressures in later life which can cause stress and worry. This post will look at how to recognise and reduce symptoms of stress in yourself and others, which is often not as easy as it might seem. Stress can manifest in many different ways, meaning it is not always easy to pin down – and often, the problem itself can consume all your time and emotion, meaning it is difficult to be objective and realize the symptoms in yourself.
Common short-term effects of stress include:
• Difficulty sleeping and bad-quality sleep.
• Lack of energy or desire to do things.
• Susceptibility to headaches and other common illnesses.
• Chest pain and increased blood pressure.
• Lack of appetite and upset stomach.
Stress can also have an effect on behaviour and general mood, which can result in people leading a less healthy lifestyle through alcohol, smoking, drugs, or fast food.
If experienced over a long period of time, these can have serious consequences for your health and wellbeing. For example, a chronically high blood pressure can place undue strain on your heart and blood vessels, increasing the chance of a stroke, heart attack, or heart disease. Additionally, the immune system is weakened from a poor lifestyle and the strain of stress means that common illnesses will be harder to fight off. Major depressive episodes can also result from prolonged periods of stress, which seriously affect your ability to have an enjoyable and fulfilling retirement.
It’s important to familiarize yourself with these symptoms, and regularly take an objective look at your health and wellbeing to see if you’re suffering. You can always pair up with a friend or relative to keep an eye on each other, as often it can be hardest to notice these things in ourselves; and the earlier they are noticed, the sooner you can go about fixing them. Make sure that you are making healthy choices with your diet, giving yourself the best chance at good quality sleep, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, and have a good social group for support.
Of course, one of the best things which you can do is to try and plan to avoid stress as much as possible, and to provide a safety net for if things don’t go to plan – and this is what we will be discussing in our third installment of our Senior Stress series.